• http://slurl.com/secondlife/Teaching%2011/24/204/21
• http://www.avatar-project.org/
• www.skoolaborate.com
• http://www.nhk.or.jp/digitalnative/en.html?id=n007

Current research shows that students are becoming disengaged with traditional forms of schooling. The current model developed out of the industrial age does not meet the demands and needs of students in a 21st century learning environment. Skoolaborate aims to lead the way and demonstrate to educators around the globe how virtual worlds and interactive technologies can be used not only to engage students in learning but also to enhance educational opportunities. Opportunities are being provided for students to take control of their own learning and to work as critical friends and mentors of other students and other teachers from across the world. Teachers are collaboratively developing units of work with other teachers on matters that are important to all. Students work with teachers to assist them in working in a digital world that is very foreign to them. This has seen the transformation of working relationships within schools, within faculties, across sectors of education and across national and international boarders.

Another area that we are getting results in is Global Awareness. We achieve global understanding by working with people from different nations on topics of common interest. It is becoming increasingly important for students to develop an understanding of the diversity that surrounds them including differences in beliefs, traditions, cultures etc By developing this understanding of diversity that students will be better equipt to work together in order to find solution for the global challenges that face us all. Our initial experiences have seen us develop units of work that easily transform into current classroom practice. This has been a deliberate action aimed at recruiting a critical mass of teachers into the environment and to install confidence in the minds of teachers and their communities that virtual worlds have much to offer education.

Our next stage sees us integrate values based learning into these units of work with virtual world activities developed around traditional subject areas like English and Science as well as issues of global significance such as global warming, gene research etc. These educationally rigorous units of work will be made available to all school globally. It is hoped that they will act as exempla units of work that will promote quality educational experiences around the globe. Finally we are seeing evidence, again across the globe, of benefits for students who have suffered through many damaging life experiences. Issues such as bullying, low self esteem or by being loaded with the baggage of low social economic status etc We are seeing these students suddenly blossom in this new environment as they interact in a 'new world' without baggage and are being taken for what they are rather than what they are perceived to be. This is being researched by Universities as well as being noticed by individual school teachers and students. These results are being shared with the broader community via blogs and reports. It appears that we are beginning to see similar positive results with mental health issues and racism issues. We have more work to do in these areas but initial results are positive.

The work we have done in Skoolaborate has been entirely funded by the partner schools.